March 1958 ARS-33-44 
United States Department of Agriculture 
Agricultural Research Service 
A HAND-OPERATED INSECT ASPIRATOR 
Irving Keiser, Entomology Research Division 
Mouth-operated insect aspirators have been used by entomologists 
for over a century, but they have not been entirely satisfactory because 
of health hazards, annoyance, and other objections. A hand-operated 
rubber-bulb aspirator currently available is often unsuitable because 
of inadequate suction. 
Oman (8) calls attention to a desirable modification--namely, con- 
version of the aspirator to the blow type--but this is also mouth- 
operated. Wishart (10) describes several aSpirators that require a 
power source or mouth suction. Barr (1) and others have used a 
modified running-water pump in the laboratory in place of mouth 
suction. Flanders (2), Garman and Brigham (3), and Hinds and 
Spencer (5) have described electric suction collectors, and Hill (4) a 
battery-operated portable collector that he devised for field use. 
Lindquist (6) developed a container with a finger -operated lid for 
removing insects from cages. Some of the numerous other modifica - 
tions that have been developed by various workers for Specific purposes 
are described by Peterson (9). 
The hand-operated aspirator illustrated in figures I and II has been 
found satisfactory for many types of field and laboratory insect collecting. 
The thumb is placed on the plunger-depressing knob (1a) of the suction 
pump and the index and middle fingers beneath the finger grip (3a), 
which is an integral part of the plunger-cylinder sleeve (3). The 
plunger-cylinder sleeve is secured to the top bellows board (5). When 
the plunger (1) is inserted into the cylinder sleeve (3) with movement 
of the fingers, it depresses the bottom bellows board (7) to which it is 
attached, thus expanding the bellows (6). This depressing movement 
opens the lower bellows-board flutter valve (9), permitting air to be 
drawn from the tube (16), which connects the lower bellows-board 
orifice tube (8) to the collecting -bottle orifice tube (12), and also from 
the collecting bottle (11) into the opening bellows (6). This movement 
of air creates a partial vacuum in the collecting bottle, and the insect 
is sucked in through the receiving tube (15) with the inrushing air. A 
screen (13) prevents the insect from entering the bellows chamber. 
When the fingers are released, a compression spring (2) returns the 
